Huang Jiguang (; January 18, 1931 – October 19, 1952) was a highly-decorated
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
soldier during the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
.
Biography
Huang was born in
Sichuan Province
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...
, his mother is Deng Fangzhi and brother is Huang Jishu. In March 1951, Huang decided to join the
Chinese People's Volunteer Army
The People's Volunteer Army (PVA) was the armed expeditionary forces deployed by the People's Republic of China during the Korean War. Although all units in the PVA were actually transferred from the People's Liberation Army under the order ...
to fight against the
American-led United Nations forces in the Korean War.
After joining the war, Huang became a
runner
Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...
and was later awarded the
Meritorious Service, Third Class for his bravery. At the
Battle of Triangle Hill in October 1952, Huang's unit was tasked with destroying an enemy blockhouse. According to official accounts, Huang hurled himself against a machine gun slit on the blockhouse after running out of ammunition and blocking enemy fire while he sacrificed his life. As a result of his heroism, the Chinese forces overran the position and annihilated a significant number of enemy soldiers. In one version of the story, it was also claimed that Huang's final action was specifically inspired by the Soviet war film ''
Private Aleksandr Matrosov
''Private Aleksandr Matrosov'' (russian: Рядовой Александр Матросов) is a 1947 Soviet war drama directed by Leonid Lukov.
Plot
The film is a dramatization of the life of Alexander Matrosov, a Red Army soldier who was awar ...
'', which was in turn based on the real-life exploit of
Alexander Matrosov
Alexander Matveyevich Matrosov (russian: Алекса́ндр Матве́евич Матро́сов, ba, Шәкирйән Юныс улы Мөхәмәтйәнов, uk, Олександр Матвійович Матросов; February 5, 1924 ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.
Awards
Huang was posthumously given the title of "
Combat Hero, Second Class",
[ which was later upgraded to "Combat Hero, Special Class". The North Korean government also awarded Huang with the title of "Hero of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea", a Gold Star Medal and the ]Order of the National Flag
The Order of the National Flag () is the second highest order of North Korea, after the Order of Kim Il-sung and the Order of Kim Jong-il.
It is the oldest order in the country, having been established in 1948, just six weeks after the North ...
(First-Class).
Legacy
A company of People's Liberation Army Air Force Airborne Corps
The People's Liberation Army Air Force Airborne Corps () is an airborne corps under direct command of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). It was reorganized and renamed from the 15th Airborne Corps in May 2017 and now comprises six ...
is named after Huang Jiguang.
See also
* Hunan Avetisyan
*Dong Cunrui
Dong Cunrui (; 1929 - May 25, 1948) was a Chinese Communist soldier in the People's Liberation Army during the Chinese Civil War who blew himself up in order to destroy a Kuomintang bunker guarding an approach to an important bridge in Longhua ...
* Qiu Shaoyun
References
{{Authority control
1931 births
1952 deaths
People from Deyang
Chinese military personnel killed in the Korean War